‘Don’t Politicise AFCON 2019’

The 1st Vice National Chairman of the SDF, Hon Joshua Nambangi Osih, has warned militants of the ruling CPDM, Government and the State media, to stop politicising and crediting Cameroon’s victory to host the 2019 African Cup of Nations to President Paul Biya.
“It is a dangerous game these people are trying to play. The winning of the bid is a victory for all Cameroonians. It is not the victory for an individual, a party, or a Government”.
Hon Osih was speaking in an exclusive interview granted to The Post in Douala, on September 23. The SDF 1st Vice National Chairman, nevertheless, expressed joy over Cameroon’s winning of the bid. He said: “If credit has to be given to President Biya for Cameroon’s victory, then Biya should also take responsibility for the failures suffered by the national football team during his long stay in power, like the 2010 and 2014 World Cup debacles. We should not politicise football,” He said.
Hon Osih, a member of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, also stated that the challenge is not to win the bid to host AFCON 2019, but for Cameroon to live up to expectations by putting in place the necessary infrastructures to host the football festival.
“We have to start preparations from scratch; there is nothing on the ground. There are no stadia, no road networks, nothing. We have only four years to put everything in order,” he stated.
Osih also said that winning the bid is no guarantee that Cameroon will host the games. He asserted that the Confederation of African Football, CAF, has the right to withdraw Cameroon’s bid to host the games, if the country fails to live up to expectations.
“We need to start the preparations and stop crediting Mr Biya for the bid we have won,” he reiterated.